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The Middletown Area school district began investigating a hazing that happened on August 11, 2022—after a cellphone video film by high school football players was shared on social media.
The high school's football team's season was canceled after a second video surfaced on Wednesday, August 24.
Both videos show incidents of hazing happening in the "high school turf room for heat acclimation practice sessions," Dr. Chelton Hunter, Superintendent of Schools for the Middletown Area School District said.
Six student-athletes, between 14 and 17 years old have been assaulted, according to the DA.
"Through the investigation, police learned that three other students were also assaulted over the last year during various incidents, with at least one incident occurring at a residence. All the assaults involved the same two main perpetrators," DA Fran Chardo said.
Lower Swatara Township police filed the following charges:
- Two students 17-year-old students have been charged with multiple counts of criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault, and hazing.
- A 16-year-old student has been charged with unlawful restraint, simple assault, and hazing
- Three students— two 16 years old and one 17-year-old — were charged with unlawful restraint and hazing.
- Four students with violating the hazing statute.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle indicated that all the cases will be handled through the juvenile system.
"This investigation did not involve just hazing or ‘boys will be boys’ conduct. Rather, two of these individuals committed repeated sexual assaults and encouraged others to participate under the guise of hazing," Gettle stated in the release on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
"The school district went above and beyond to ensure that it cooperated completely with the police investigation," DA Chardo said.
"To date, the investigation has shown that none of the coaches or school administrators knew of the incidents until the day it was reported to the police," as stated in the release.
All the known perpetrators were removed from the school to ensure that the victims were not further traumatized, according to the release.
Police continue to investigate allegations of other assaults by the same perpetrators at a football camp over the summer.
Anyone with information related to those incidents is encouraged to contact the police at Dauphin County detectives at (717) 780-6200 or anonymously online through Dauphin County CRIMEWATCH at https://dauphin.crimewatchpa.com/3.
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